Capture like a pro (Part 2): The four synth shapes

Part 1 gave you a quick start. To capture a synth, you need to think about which shape (spin, panorama, walk, or wall) you are capturing before you start shooting. How do you determine what shape to use for a particular location? Start by thinking about the smooth path of photos you will be producing.

If your motion is basically forward relative to the direction of shooting, you’re making a walk.

If your motion is sideways relative to the shooting direction, it gets trickier.

You’re making a spin if your shooting path is curved and you are generally pointing at some central location (even if this central location is obscured in some photos).

You are making a panorama if your shooting path is curved and you are shooting away from some point behind you.

Otherwise, you are making a wall.

We hope to make this choice automatic in the future, but because we are still previewing this new Photosynth technology, this choice is manual for now.

Keeping in mind the synth shape you are going to create also helps to make sure you do not upload any extraneous photos. Our rejection logic is not yet perfect, so one irrelevant photo can do damage to your synth.

The New Photosynth Synth Shapes

What’s Next?

Part 3 goes right to the point for some expert tips that apply to all synth shapes.